The Diner

Oh man I can't believe Reggie died out on you! I don't know what it is with him but it seems like his battery just keeps on giving out a whole lot more than it really should. Maybe it's because he's an old grandpa now. He's 20 years old this year! Haha I still remember that Homecoming Day Activity... but at least we were able to wake board and tube for most of the day before he died! Sounds like he gave out on your right at the start. Just remember that after you get a jump start you have to leave him on for quite a while so his battery can charge all up again. Just look down at the battery life gauge and don't turn it off unless it's at least half full.

Well to be honest and I don't want to sound like a Debby Downer but things up here have pretty much been the same old same old. Lets just say there's a lot of opposition up here. I loved the talk by Elder Corbridge last general conference where he talked about Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith and how the truth will always be defied.

Things have just been like a roller coaster lately. One second you think you're finally going to catch a break but then everything just crashes and burns. We've really been struggling to get things going here but that's alright because it's all going to change this week! Like I said before the Less active work has been going so great and we've been able to help re-active a lot of people which has been awesome but it'd be nice if we could get both sides of the teaching pool rolling.

Last night we finally caught a break with a couple that we're teaching. They're the nicest and most amazing people I've met but are just so busy that its just crazy. They own a diner in downtown Fairbanks where they have us over for lunch and dinner a couple times a week and feed us. Their main hold up is that they can't come to church on Sunday because they're the only ones working at the Co-op. Scott (the husband) grew up living in and LDS family but was never baptized but he already knows everything's true. I was pretty shocked when I was looking at his keychain and saw he had a container of consecrated oil on it! Anyways, last night when we were walking over to their diner they came outside to meet us and told us that they need and want to be baptized. We were both pretty shocked but so happy! We talked about the sacrifice that he would have to make of finding someone to run the diner on Sundays and he was really nervous about it. But he told us that if the Lord had gotten this far in life then he knew he would make it happen. So hopefully within the next couple of weeks we'll finish up the lessons and have them baptized! WOHOO! :)

I loved your story about going to the temple and meeting the woman there. The temple's by far my favorite place to go. No where else can you go and separate yourself from the world and find and feel that kind of heavenly peace. I've been thinking a lot lately about what I call the STP (same ten people) Every ward I've been in Alaska has those same ten people of families who do everything for the ward and truly live the law of consecration. Our stake president was talking in our ward a few weeks ago and  said something that I really loved, pertaining to the temple. He said "when I said yes, I meant it" It's amazing to see how much happier those families who give their whole selves to Gods work compared to those who only give a portion. 

Have a great week! 

Love ya!

-Elder Brown